A mousetrap car is a small vehicle whose only source of motive power is a mousetrap. The mousetrap acts as a third-class lever, with the spring as the fulcrum and the hammer as the load. The vehicle works by winding the string around the axle the mouse trap's spring is stretched and now you have your stored energy, also known as Potential Energy which is the amount of energy an object has due to its position in space. As the mousetrap car is released the mouse trap pulls the string off of the axle causing the wheels to turn and the vehicle takes off. When the vehicle is released two energy transformations occur, first potential and then kinetic. Once the car speeds up kinetic energy increases as well as the velocity. While the car is in …show more content…
In the most visible sense, misaligned wheels also mean the car won’t go in the desired direction. In order to get a good grade on this lab the car has to go straight. The wheels must be stable, and small, so the car doesn’t slip. You want the front of the car to be extremely small to control air resistance All of the mousetrap car parts must be extremely light so the car can go faster. To make it lighter you can remove unnecessary material. You want the front of the car to be extremely small to control air resistance. If I’m going for accuracy, the length of the snapper arm will depend on the length of the string arm will depend on the length of the string more on this in a minute. If I’m going for distance, I should try a long arm. Longer arms will provide less force, but more distance. With a longer arm, more string will be pulled off the axle this causes the wheels to turn more times and allows the vehicle to cover more distance. If I want to go for a power care I need to try a shorter arm. Shorter arms will provide more force and power output, but a smaller distance, because the cars need the power to get up the ramp. Some example materials that can be used